Candies, pastries fail quality tests

Five batches of food including candies and shaqima, a Chinese pastry, failed quality tests, the city's market watchdog said on Wednesday.

A batch of shaqima sold at the Xujing outlet of Carrefour in Qingpu District failed for excessive peroxide, a sign that they were stale.

The items made by Shanghai Yuezhe Food Co Ltd were found to contain 2.1 grams of peroxide per 100 grams compared with the limit of 0.25 grams per 100 grams allowed by China's national standard, according to Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.

Excessive peroxide can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea in serious cases, the administration said.

Candies made by Shanghai Wowo (Group) Co Ltd failed for excessive bacteria, according to the administration.

In total, 531 batches of food were checked and an investigation is ongoing.

The cases will be recorded in the city's food safety credibility file of food manufacturing and operation businesses, according to the administration.